Sunday, December 14 2008

Veteran Canela gets first stakes win in Prairie Bayou

FLORENCE, KY . . . December 13, 2008 . . . After placing in a couple of graded stakes earlier this year, 7-year-old Canela scored his first stakes victory with a 3/4-length win in the $50,000 Prairie Bayou Stakes Saturday at Turfway Park.

As expected, Omaggio burst from post 10 and had the lead within the first half-furlong of the 1 1/8-mile Prairie Bayou. Timeless Fashion broke from the rail and dueled for the lead rounding the first turn, with Canela sitting comfortably in fourth to the outside, one of two strategies given jockey Victor Lebron by Canela’s trainer, Mike Maker.

GAME N LAUGHIN’ ELECTRIFIES IN LIGHTNING CITY STAKES

The Lightning City Stakes, a $65,000 turf test for fillies and mare three years old and up running five furlongs headlined Opening Day for Tampa Bay Downs’s 83rd live race meeting. The race was a family affair this year when Game N Laughin’ won for trainer Bernell Rhone with his son-in-law Dean Butler in the irons; it was the first Tampa Bay Downs stakes win for both men. The five-year-old daughter of Distorted Humor, who is owned by Diamond G Ranch, upset the rest of the ten-horse field to capture the Lightning City Stakes in front of an Opening Day crowd of 5,471 fans. The co-mingled all-source handle was an Opening Day record of $4,538,581, up 16% from last’s year’s record-breaking Opening Day figure.

BROADWAY PRODUCER TAKES CENTER STAGE IN JENNINGS HANDICAP

LAUREL, MD. 12-13-08---Sovereign Stable and Gatsas Thoroughbreds’ Broadway Producer was just too much horse for his Maryland-bred rivals as he powered to victory in today’s feature at Laurel Park, the $50,000 Jennings Handicap.

Dale Beckner rode the five-year-old for Belmont Park-based trainer John Terranova. This was Beckner’s first time aboard the son of Not For Love, who tracked P V Lightening and Poppy’s Punkin to the head of the stretch before charging by and drawing off to win by three lengths in 1:43.73 over the fast main track.

LARAGH IN COMMAND UNDER PRADO IN HOLLYWOOD STARLET

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (Dec. 13, 2008) — Laragh, third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in her previous start, shifted to Cushion Track and was in complete control as she scored a front-running victory under jockey Edgar Prado in Saturday’s $438,500 Hollywood Starlet at Hollywood Park.

Laragh broke on top under Prado, was briefly challenged when a trio led by Pamona Ball challenged her heading into the backstretch, but quickly re-established her position. She cruised down the backstretch, opened up on the turn for home, and was not seriously threatened in the stretch while posting a one-length victory over Wynning Ride in a time of 1:41.96 for 1 1/16 miles.

Summer’s Empire prevails in Edgar Futurity

Stickney, IL--Conditions for the 30th running of the $110,075 Jim Edgar Illinois Futurity were less than ideal as nine two-year-old colts and geldings did battle in the one mile and one-sixteenths event. But nothing could stop the odds-on favorite Summer’s Empire from rolling home a one-length winner over Last Demand through a driving cold rain. The time for the race was 1:45.33 on a track listed as good.

The son of Empire Maker and 2003 Illinois Horse of the year Summer Mis was ridden to victory by Jesse Campbell and trained by Anthony Mitchell. It was the third straight victory, all at Hawthorne, and his $66,045 share of the winning pushed his career total to $103,485.

BAHAMA BREEZE AIMS FOR SIXTH STRAIGHT WIN IN ON TRUST

Bahama Breeze, claimed for $40,000 while winning his career bow on Jan. 12 at Golden Gate Fields, has added four wins since joining the barn of trainer Steve Miyadi. The bay son of Lord Carson has been favored in three of those races, the exception when he shipped to Santa Anita Park to win a state-bred allowance race in February.

PAMONA BALL SEEKS THIRD STRAIGHT VICTORY IN HOLLYWOOD STARLET

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (Dec. 12, 2008) — Darley Stable’s Pamona Ball will take a big step up in class as she aims for her third consecutive victory and her first graded stakes win in Saturday’s $429,500 Hollywood Starlet at Hollywood Park.

Pamona Ball, trained by Eoin Harty, followed up a maiden win in October by rallying to score a one-length victory over Toro Bonito in the Sharp Cat Stakes here in November. Both were run at the Starlet distance of 1 1/16 miles.